Olympia Academic Competition Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Quiz Bowl? How is it different from other academic competitions?

Quiz Bowl is unique from other academic competitions in two ways. First of all, unlike competitions such as Science Bowl, Quiz Bowl tests knowledge of the entirety of the academic spectrum instead of just certain subjects. Second, in contrast to competitions such as Academic Decathalon, Quiz Bowl features both tossups, which are answered individually using buzzers, and bonuses, which are answered as a team. As a result, Quiz Bowl promotes knowledge of a wide variety of subjects as well as teamwork and mental agility.

Hosting a tournament brings a wide variety of benefits to a school which does so. Tournaments not only serve as the prime source of fundraising for most teams, but also help bring together not only the team, but also the entire school community in making the event a reality.

How can I help my team get better?There are a variety of methods of improving helping one's team improve, many of which can be found in our list of additional resources. However, in short, improvement in Quiz Bowl comes through practice and study, just like improvement in any other activity. Many players improve by reading old questions and developing lists of topics which come up frequently. The best way to improve, however, is to simply read books on topics which come up frequently. Not only does this provide a much deeper knowledge of a topic (thus improving one's chance of getting a question on it), but, at least in our opinion, it is also far more enjoyable.

How Do I Start a Quiz Bowl Team at My School?Starting a new Quiz Bowl team can be both rewarding and challenging. However, though every new team is unique, there are two issues with starting a new team which they all have in common.

1/ Recruiting players.

Obviously, a Quiz Bowl team can't exist if it doesn't have players. At the middle and high school levels, skill at Quiz Bowl is often (but not always!) correlated with grades. Thus, it can be helpful to speak with teachers in gifted education and honors courses to see if they've observed any particularly knowledgeable students.

2/ Seeking funding.

Funding is a critical part of a Quiz Bowl team, because without money, it is impossible to attend tournaments and purchase buzzers. Frequently, school activities offices offer some sort of budget for teams, but this varies between regions and between schools. However, regardless of one's funding situation, hosting a tournament is always an excellent method of raising money.

Once you have these two matters taken care of, you're well on your way to forming a successful Quiz Bowl team. Now your concern will be preparing your team for competition, a guide to which we offer here.

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